Shot shells conventionally include nonreactive shot or nonreactive slugs made from steel, tungsten, lead, or combinations thereof. The military and law enforcement use shot shells to breach doors or other targets by firing the shot shell at the door, lock, handle, or hinges to gain entry. Ideally, shot shells for use in door-breaching applications are safe to the shooter, penetrate the target, and do not cause injury or damage to persons or structures located beyond three feet of the opposite side of the target. In addition, the shot shells should not produce lethal fragments upon impact with the target. However, conventional shotgun shells do not breach doors readily, produce ricochet and back spray, have no stand-off breaching capability, and are relatively ineffective at damaging hinges.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,936 describes a projectile that includes a reactive material. The projectile is formed in whole or in part from a pyrophoric metal, such as iron-cerium alloys, zirconium, or depleted uranium. The projectile includes fragments formed from magnesium and TEFLON®. Alternatively, the projectile uses an incendiary material in the explosive matrix or as a separate composition located within or adjacent to the explosive fill of the projectile.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,176 describes a projectile that includes a reactive composition that contains a reactive metal and an oxidizer. The reactive metal is titanium, aluminum, magnesium, lithium, boron, beryllium, zirconium, thorium, uranium, hafnium, alloys thereof, hydrides thereof, and combinations thereof. The oxidizer is lithium perchlorate, lithium chlorate, magnesium perchlorate, magnesium chlorate, ammonium perchlorate, ammonium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, potassium chlorate, and combinations thereof. A binder, such as a fluorinated polymer, is optionally present. The projectile is used to destruct unexploded ordnance.